Thursday, December 23, 2010

Gulliver's TravelsWe all know the 18th-century story of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, where the main character finds himself a giant amongst the tiny people of a mysterious faraway land, Lilliput. In this modern-day retelling, Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda) plays the title role as a Manhattan mail room clerk. He's smitten by an editor at the office, but Darcy (2012's Amanda Peet) is clearly out of his league. To get her attention, Gulliver tricks her into believing that he's actually a writer -- so she sends him on assignment to the Bermuda Triangle to cover a story.

After a fierce storm, Gulliver is shipwrecked and awakens in Lilliput -- where at first he is held captive, but then rises to hero status. Along the way, he helps another unlikely duo get together -- the island's princess (The Young Victoria's Emily Blunt) and an adoring commoner (Jason Segel fromDespicable Me). Helping his new friends get together gives Gulliver much insight as to how he could win over Darcy. Now if only he could find a way to be back on the same ground with her again.

The comic-adventure film relies a bit too much on crude humor and special effects (although the 3D enhancement is once again unnecessary). It may not be that funny or adventurous, but there's some mild entertainment here thanks to a talented cast that rises above a silly script. It's not the best family film out this year, but it's certainly not the worst either. Directed and co-written by Rob Letterman (Monsters vs. Aliens). [Rated PG; opens Christmas Day]

Grade: B-

Notes:

The minor recommendation is helped along by a fun new animated short that precedes the film. Scrat’s Continental Crack-Up is a great sneak peek at what lies ahead for the Ice Age series -- as Ice Age: Continental Drift is expected to hit theaters on July 13, 2012.

Click on the Film Reviews icon at left for more reviews -- including Rabbit Hole, which opens wider on Christmas Day.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Joel and Ethan Coen (A Serious Man, No Country for Old Men) have created their most mainstream film in True Grit, an adaptation of the 1968 Western novel by Charles Portis. The story, set in 1800s Arkansas, was previously adapted in a 1969 film starring John Wayne -- in his only Oscar-winning role.

Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld plays Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl who undertakes a quest to avenge her father's death at the hands of a drifter named Tom Chaney (Milk's Josh Brolin). Ross persuades an alcoholic U.S. marshal known as Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to join her in tracking Chaney down. He wants to go solo, but feisty Ross insists she go along. They are also joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who wants to take in Chaney for other crimes. The trio face danger and surprises on the journey -- truly testing their "grit."

Bridges proves that his Oscar win last year for Crazy Heart was no fluke -- he nails the gruff, but lovable Cogburn. And Damon (Hereafter) also successfully showcases his great range -- he really can do both comedy and drama. But it's Steinfeld who steals the movie in a perfect casting coup. The Academy will surely recognize her talents when the Oscar nominations are announced next month.

Although I never read the novel -- and don't recall seeing the original film -- this newer version may be less of a straight remake than some would think. Ethan Coen has been quoted as saying the film is a more faithful adaptation of the novel than the 1969 version: "It's partly a question of point-of-view. The book is entirely in the voice of the 14-year-old girl. I think [the book is] much funnier than the movie. They lost a lot of humour in both the situations and in her voice. It also ends differently than the movie did. Another way in which it's a little bit different from the movie — and maybe this is just because of the time the movie was made — is that it's a lot tougher and more violent than the [original] movie reflects." (Source: IGN)

To sum up -- even if you're not usually a fan of Westerns, this film should not be missed. And if you've had trouble with the Coen Brothers' quirky writing and directing in past films, no worries here. There's no confusion as to what happens -- from start to finish. It's just a great American story -- dramatic, funny, touching and adventurous. And you'll witness the making of a new star in Steinfeld. [Rated PG-13; opens later today]

Like Broadway tunes? Compliments of SHN and iTunes comes a 15-track Broadway music sampler. Click here to download -- and enter this code: BROADWAYINSF. Plenty of time on this offer -- it expires October 31 of next year.

thedownplayer.com has downloads of 10 songs --and they swap out the selection often. This week's offerings include a single from Broken Bells! Click here.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

In another soft weekend, Disney's 3D Tron: Legacy debuted on top of the domestic box office with a $43.6 million opening. Quite a big leap from the original Tron film -- which opened with $4.8 million on the weekend of July 9, 1982.

Warner Bros.' 3D family entry Yogi Bear opened to $16.7 million to finish in second place. The CG/live-action hybrid had been expected to open at $20 million.

Coming in #3 was last week's winner -- 20th Century Fox and Walden Media's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It fell 48% to $12.4 million for a new domestic cume of $42.8 million. Overseas, the third Narnia film won the weekend with $29.9 million for a worldwide gross of $166.8 million.

At #4, Paramount/Relativity Media's The Fighter grossed $12.2 million as it expanded after opening the weekend before in N.Y. and Los Angeles.

Due to mostly poor reviews, Sony's How Do You Know (filmed partially in my neighborhood!) opened to a paltry $7.6 million -- only good for #8.

The weekend was down about 3% from the same frame last year.

All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.

Reviews ofThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Black Swanand other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Rabbit HoleHow do you move on after the death of a child? There is no time frame rule for grieving. Nor does everyone grieve in the same way. Eight months after the death of their young son, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) continue to cope with their grief -- but in different ways. Whereas Howie finds solace in re-watching a final video of the boy over and over, Becca needs to strip the house of most reminders. Both find comfort in private platonic relationships -- Becca becomes close with the teenage driver (newcomer Miles Teller) who accidentally hit the boy, while Howie buddies up with a fellow bereavement support group member (Sideways' Sandra Oh). Can Becca and Howie's marriage survive with so much grief and secrecy?

There's nothing particularly groundbreaking in the story-telling here. Sure, it's heartbreaking -- but the movie stands out due to riveting performances by Kidman (Oscar-winner for The Hours) and Eckhart (The Dark Knight). And Oscar-winner Diane Wiest (Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway) is terrific as Becca's mom -- mourning not only her grandson, but also her own son she lost several years back. Teller, Oh and The Good Shepherd's Tammy Blanchard (who plays Becca's sister) round-out a strong supporting cast.

Directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and written by David Lindsay-Abaire -- an adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. If you can sit through the tough subject matter, the film is worth seeing for some astonishing performances. [Rated PG-13; opens in NY and LA today; wider on Christmas Day; nationwide on January 14]

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Fox's 3D action fantasy The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader opened with a disappointing $24.5 million weekend, but still managed to top the domestic box office. With an underwhelming performance, it remains uncertain if Fox will take on a fourth Narnia picture. Disney had previously dumped the family franchise following a disappointing first sequel.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first film in the series, opened with a franchise-best $65.6 million in 2005 -- en route to ring up $291.7 million domestically. The May 2008 sequel, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, debuted with $55 million and collected $141.6 million domestically.

The weekend's only other wide opener -- the Sony-distributed action thriller The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp -- earned second place with a debut of just $17 million.

The session's top 10 films fetched less than $83 million, roughly matching top performers' contributions in the same frame last year.

All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.

Reviews ofThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Black Swan, Megamindand other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.

Friday, December 10, 2010

The fun falls a bit short in the film adaptation of the third published novel in the C. S. Lewis epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. This time around, the two younger Pevensie kids Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are transported back to Narnia along with their annoying younger cousin Eustace (Will Poulter). They join the new King of Narnia, Caspian (Ben Barnes) in his quest to rescue seven lost lords to save Narnia from a corrupting evil that resides on a dark island. Each character is tested as they journey to the home of the great lion Aslan at the far ends of the world.

The core cast is fine as always, but some of the supporting players are not seen as much as they were in the previous installments. Liam Neeson reprises his voice role of Aslan, the great lion and the highest of all the Kings of Narnia. And don't blink or you will miss the cameo returns of Tilda Swinton (I am Love) as the White Witch, and the older Pevensie siblings -- William Moseley as Peter and Anna Popplewell as Susan. Somehow minimizing these roles in the threequel really weakens the ride.

The positives -- it's great to see the kids again as they set off on a new journey -- and some of the special effects are top-notch. But unfortunately, the storytelling is quite simplistic this time around -- and the overall effect is pretty bland. Available in both 2D and 3D formats -- I saw the latter and can say, save your money and go with the standard format. Nothing spectacular happens in 3D. In summation, a minimal nostalgic recommendation from me -- based on continuing a classic story with some interesting characters and the actors who play them. Directed by Michael Apted (Amazing Grace), who has also signed on to do the fourth installment in the series, The Silver Chair. [Rated PG; opens today]

Grade: B-

Black Swan

Director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) is back to his wacky ways with the psychological thriller, Black Swan. Natalie Portman (Brothers) is sensational as Nina, who lands the lead in a production of Swan Lake by a New York City ballet company. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother who exerts suffocating control over her. The stress of gaining the role and dealing with more pressure at home has pushed Nina over the edge. Things get even crazier when a new dancer, Lily (the equally great Mina Kunis from Forgetting Sarah Marshall), enters the mix.

The film is beautifully shot and is carried by some of the best acting of the year. But it's also a bit too bizarre for its own good. Nina pushes herself so hard that her stress causes her to be unsure if things she is experiencing are real, psychotic episodes, drug-induced hallucinations or dreams. And you'll be left wondering the same, too.

The excellent supporting cast includes Vincent Cassel (Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen) as the ballet's demanding artistic director and Barbara Hershey (The Portrait of a Lady) as Nina's mother. On the flip side, Winona Ryder (Girl, Interrupted) is a bit too campy as another dancer forced to retire due to age. The movie is very dark and compelling -- but also difficult to recommend strongly because it's way too over the top for all audiences. [Rated R; opens wider today]

Grade: B+

Notes:

Fourteen members of the Pennsylvania Ballet were cast as the corps de ballet in the Black Swan -- backdrop for the main actors' performances. A few were on hand at my screening for Q&A -- and admitted that real ballet life is stressful and drama-filled, but that Nina's character takes her grueling preparation a bit too far.

Click on the Film Reviews icon at left for more reviews, including the highly-recommended 127 Hours.

The Maccabeats, a singing group from Yeshiva University, has huge internet Hanukkah hit with "Candlelight." It's sung to the tune of the pop song "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz -- and it's pretty catchy! Check out the story here -- and the YouTube video here.

Free Downloads

Here is this week's list of free downloads:

The music of The Grateful Dead is meant to be shared and enjoyed by everyone. Through December 8, you can download 30 classic live tracks here -- or by clicking the image at right.

Not to be outdone, the third volume of Live Bait -- tracks from Phish -- can be downloaded here.

To celebrate the release of Joe Purdy's 12th album "This American," you can download this 15-song album for free throughout December here.

Finally, Amazon has a free holiday mp3 for download each day through Christmas; download here.

Want more free downloads? Well, don't forget to continually check the following sources -- new songs covering all genres are added frequently. Just click on the links below and enjoy some new tunes.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Disney's Tangled, a 3D animated adventure based on the Rapunzel fable, rang up $21.5 million during its second weekend to top the box office.

Warner Bros.' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1 settled for second place after two frames atop the box office rankings, earning $16.7 million for the weekend -- and now $244.2 million in cumulative box office after three weeks. That puts it comfortably ahead of any of the six previous Potter pictures for a similar span of time.

The weekend's only wide opener -- Relativity-distributed martial arts Western The Warrior's Way -- debuted weekly in ninth place with only $3.1 million.

Collectively, the top 10 films rang up $75 million, or 14% less than top performers in the same frame last year. That's the third consecutive year-over-year weekend downturn for the holiday box office season, which began the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, the weekend went very well for Fox Searchlight's Black Swan. The suspense thriller about ballet dancers directed by Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), Black Swan dove into 18 theaters in eight markets and came up roses with $1.4 million for a Searchlight-record $77,459 per venue. It opens wider on Friday.

All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.

Reviews of Megamindand other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.